Thursday, October 13, 2016

Video footage has caught the dramatic rescue of three wild Asian elephants in China.

The two adults and a baby were left stuck in a 16-foot-deep pool of water in south west China's Yunnan province on October 11. The animals were stuck there for two days and rescuers were concerned that the animals would die from hunger.

It's thought that the baby elephant may have fallen into the pool of water first and the two adults went in after it. The water is used by local villagers to irrigate plants.

According to New China, a dozen elephants had tried to nudge the three out of the reservoir with their trunks but were unsuccessful. The elephants were stuck there for two days after heavy rain hampered the rescue attempt. Rescuers fed the animals bananas and other food amid fears that they would starve.

In the footage, posted by New China TV helicopters and firecrackers can be seen as the rescuers try to scare away the other elephants first. They then used a digger to make a hole in the reservoir allowing the elephants access. The animals can be seen making their way out through the hole and out of the pool of water.